A furious mob at Nayabasti in the Bouddha area of Kathmandu on Sunday vandalized a police beat and torched four motorcycles following what they described as the 'suspicious' death of Raj Kumar Lama, a taxi driver. Lama, 36, originally hailed from Bhimeshwor Municipality-12 of Dolakha district. Locals and the kin of the deceased intensified their protests against the death of Lama, calling it 'suspicious'. They have sought a thorough investigation. According to police, they had rushed Lama to Stupa Hospital, which was the nearest, after finding him in an unconscious state on the roadside near local Kumari temple at around 10:45 p.m., Saturday. As Stupa Hospital refused to admit Lama, he was rushed to another hospital at Attarkhel, where he was pronounced dead. SP Pradhumna Karki, spokesperson of Metropolitan Police Range Office, Kathmandu, said the cause of death remains to be ascertained as investigations are still underway. While the kin of the deceased were putting questions to the police at Metropolitan Police Circle Office in Bauddha, irate locals, taxi drivers and restaurant operators at Nayabasti tried to set the police beat on fire and vandalized doors and windows. The protestors also torched two motorcycles belonging to police personnel, a motorcycle from the police beat and another motorcycle parked at the beat premises, according to police. Raju Lama Tamang, brother of the deceased, said the death was due to negligence on the part of the police. “Why did local police show negligence over the issue and fail to carry out investigations on the same day of the incident?” he asked. Preliminary investigations show that the deceased had reached Tamang Gumba with a hotel girl and returned home in a taxi. The girl and the deceased driver had been in a cabin restaurant near the police beat. One of the slippers belonging to the driver was found under the restaurant sofa and another at the spot where he was picked up by other police patrolling the area. The restaurant staff have denied that there had been any brawls there. The irate mob also resorted to vandalism at the restaurant shortly after the police beat was vandalized. Additional police personnel were deployed in the Nayabasti area to contain the situation. Police even fired six rounds of rubber bullet to disperse the agitated mob. Police rounded up around 25 people on the charge of involvement in vandalism, on the basis of video footage and still photos. Some of the arrested were released later in the evening after inquiries. The deceased, who is survived by a wife and a son, had been living in the area for the past five years. The family has not formally registered any case with the police. The body has been kept at TU Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj. एक स्थानीय ट्याक्सी चालकको शंकास्पद मृत्युका कारण उत्पन्न विवादमा गोकर्णेश्वर-१३ नयाँ बस्तीमा एक समूहद्वारा प्रहरी चौकीका सईसहित ५ जनालाई पेट्रोल छर्केर आगो लगाउने प्रयास गरिएको प्रहरीले जनाएको छ। दोलखा चरिकोट घर भई नयाँबस्ती बस्दै आएका ३६ वर्षीय राजकुमार लामाको शंकास्पद मृत्युपछि आक्रोशित स्थानीयले आइतबार बिहानै प्रहरी चौकी आक्रमण गरेका थिए। प्रहरीले हिरासतमा लिएर कुटपिट गर्दा लामाको मृत्यु भएको स्थानीयको आरोप छ। गौशालाका डिएसपी नवराज कार्कीले भने उपचार क्रममा मेडिकल कलेज अत्तरखेलमा उनको मृत्यु भएको दाबी गरे। ट्याक्सी चालक लामा बेहोस अवस्थामा सडकमा फेला परेको र उनलाई स्थानीयले नै अस्पताल लगेको पनि कार्कीले जानकारी दिए। 'उनले चलाउने बा२झ २२३ नम्बरको ट्याक्सी उनी लडेको भन्दा केही पर ठोक्किएको अवस्थामा समेत फेला परेको थियो,' उनले सेतोपाटीसँग भने, 'यो केसमा प्रहरी कहीँकतैबाट पनि जोडिँदैन तै पनि हामीमाथि आक्रोश पोखेर स्थानीयले चौकी तोडफोड गर्नु दुखद कुरा हो।' स्थानीय भने प्रहरीको भनाइसँग असहमत छन्। उनलाई मापसेकै निहुँमा नियन्त्रणमा लिइएको एक स्थानीयले बताए। प्रहरी हिरासतमै उनलाई कुटपिट गर्दा घाइते भएको र अस्पताल लगिएको पनि स्थानीयको आरोप छ। मृतकका आफन्तले पनि लामालाई प्रहरीले नियन्त्रण लिएको र उनको हिरासतमै मृत्यु भएको आरोप लगाएका छन्। आक्रोशित भीडले प्रहरी चौकी बाहिर रहेका सुरक्षाकर्मीलाई कुटपिट गर्दै चौकीभित्र रहेका सई संजीव नापित र ५ जनालाई बाहिरबाट घेरेर पेट्रोल छर्केको डिएसपी कार्कीले दाबी गरे। उनका अनुसार आक्रमणकारीले चौकी अगाडि रहेका ४ वटा मोटरसाइकलमा आगो लगाएका छन्। प्रहरीले चौकीबाट निस्केर दर्जनौं हवाइ फायर गरेको थियो। चौकी वरपर रहेका स्थानीयले खबर गरेपछि बौद्ध र गौशालाबाट गएको थप टोलीले चौकी आक्रमण गर्न पुगेकालाई तितरवितर गरेको थियो।आक्रमण गर्नेले प्रहरी चौकीका सिसा, झ्याल ढोका, गमला, टिभी, कुर्सी तोडफोड गरेका छन्। प्रहरीले केही मानिसलाई नियन्त्रणमा समेत लिएको छ।